Instruction Information

Finance your training through AOPA

Getting your license doesn’t have to break the bank anymore with AOPA’s Flex Aviation Loan. This new program allows prospective pilots to finance their private, instrument, or even multi-engine training with terms up to 84 months with low interest rates. Learn more and apply online with AOPA’s Flex Aviation Loan.

The First Step

Learning to fly is quicker and easier than you may think and comes with many benefits. If you have no prior training, or a few hours from the distant past, we can get your your Private Pilot’s Certificate (license) in as little as a few weeks or however long you need to take.

The minimum flying time required to be eligible for a Private Pilot Certificate is 40 hours. There are additional requirements that comprise the 40 hour total, such as, “cross-country” and night flying. Don’t worry, you won’t have to fly a plane across the country, cross-country simply means a flight of at least 50 miles from the departure airport.

Training starts off with the basics of flying; turning, climbing, descending, and slow-flying. Once you have mastered the basics the next step is take-offs and landings and learning the airport “traffic-pattern.” After a few hours of flying in the pattern it is time to solo. Yes, that means the instructor will step out of the airplane and let you fly the pattern a few times by yourself. Making your first solo flight around the airport will be something you’ll never forget and is one of the biggest milestones in your training, and also means it is time for cross-country flying!

The section of training dedicated to cross-country flying will reward you with the skills to actually fly from one airport to another. At this point in training you are nearing completion. A few of the flights will be with an instructor but you must accomplish a few cross-country flights solo. Once again don’t worry, our instructors will prepare you by teaching you valuable navigation skills to use for the normal, and potentially abnormal situations that come with flying.

After cross-country training is completed all you will need is a few night landings and a cross-country night flight with your instructor. Then it is time to prepare for the practical and written exams. Once exam prep is done it’s time for the test and receiving your Private Pilot Certificate!

Other Certificates

The Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) license, or sport pilot license, was created to aid people interested in flying have lower barriers to entry. One of the crucial elements is the ability to become a pilot without the need for an FAA medical.

The requirements for becoming a sport pilot are about half that of a private pilot, which can be a huge money saver. Many LSAs operate on vehicle gasoline. Couple that with modern reliability and technology, these aircraft are easy on the wallet. Even legacy aircraft such as Piper Cubs qualify as LSAs.

In addition, the no medical requirement opens the door for many people who couldn’t get a license in the past. If you have a driver’s license, you’re good to go. The only caveat having not been turned down for an FAA medical, or had a medical revoked or suspended. Having a FAA 3rd class medical also satisfies the medical eligibility.

Getting an instrument rating is a great addition to your Private Pilot Certificate. This rating gives you the ability to fly in weather that is less than marginal and legal under your private pilot priviliges.

An instrument rating grants you the freedom to fly nearly whenever you please. In addition, your knowledge of aviation will grow immensely and you will become an even safer pilot. You will learn more about navigation systems, weather and special techniques that will greatly improve your flying.

Dream of flying for an airline or a VIP? The commercial rating is the first step in becoming a professional pilot. Commercial ratings can be accomplished in either single-engine or multi-engine aircraft, or both!

A great addition to your commercial rating is a flight instructor certificate. Becoming a certified flight instructor (CFI) is key in moving up the commercial flying ladder to become an airline captain, for example.

A pilot can become a CFI in single-engine aircraft with a single-engine commercial rating. To become a multi-engine flight instructor (MEI) a pilot needs a commercial rating in multi-engine aircraft.

To be eligible for a commercial pilot rating, a pilot must have a minimum of 250 hours of total flying time in addition to other hour requirements. A pilot’s first commercial rating can be accomplished in either a single or multi-engine aircraft. Once either has been earned the other can be acquired with a simple checkride and no additional written test.

We offer insurance required initial and recurrent type training for the Piper Mirage, Piper Twin Comanche, Piper Apache, Cessna P210 and Mooney. We can provide our program syllabus and training experience to your insurance company for their approval. We can do the training in your aircraft or we can provide the aircraft and can train single or multiple students. The training can also occur at our location or yours. Because of these variables and because of the variation in student experience, we would rather discuss your training needs with you and give you a quote for our services.